﻿OYSTERS 
  AND 
  METHODS 
  OF 
  OYSTfiR-CtTLTURE. 
  309 
  

  

  might 
  have 
  some 
  advantage 
  on 
  muddy 
  bottom 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  rather 
  

   rapid 
  sedimentation. 
  Such 
  cultch 
  is 
  light 
  in 
  proportion 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  

   presented, 
  it 
  would 
  not 
  readily 
  sink, 
  and 
  the 
  upper 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  interior, 
  

   and 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  the 
  lower 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  exterior 
  would 
  present 
  sur- 
  

   faces 
  protected 
  from 
  sedimentation 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  young 
  oyster 
  could 
  

   lodge 
  itself. 
  By 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  can 
  disintegrated 
  the 
  oysters 
  would 
  no 
  

   doubt 
  be 
  sufficiently 
  grown 
  to 
  withstand 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  mud. 
  The 
  

   tin 
  is 
  distributed 
  over 
  the 
  bottom 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  shells 
  and 
  gravel. 
  

  

  Brush 
  for 
  soft 
  bottom. 
  — 
  Where 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  so 
  soft 
  that 
  ordinary 
  

   methods 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  used, 
  it 
  will 
  sometimes 
  be 
  found 
  that 
  fagots 
  and 
  

   brush 
  make 
  most 
  efficient 
  collectors. 
  The 
  brush 
  is 
  thrust 
  firmly 
  down 
  

   into 
  the 
  mud 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  manner 
  that 
  the 
  small 
  branches 
  are 
  at 
  some 
  

   distance 
  above 
  the 
  bottom. 
  They 
  will 
  offer 
  a 
  large 
  surface 
  to 
  the 
  

   water, 
  a 
  slight 
  current 
  will 
  tend 
  to 
  keep 
  them 
  free 
  from 
  destructive 
  

   deposits 
  of 
  sediment, 
  and 
  in 
  water 
  well 
  charged 
  with 
  the 
  swimming 
  fry 
  

   will 
  almost 
  certainly 
  yield 
  a 
  full 
  set 
  of 
  spat. 
  The 
  brush 
  is 
  lifted 
  at 
  the 
  

   proper 
  time 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  crane 
  or 
  boom 
  and 
  windlass. 
  This 
  method 
  

   was 
  used 
  with 
  some 
  success 
  at 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Groton, 
  Conn. 
  The 
  seed 
  

   was 
  left 
  to 
  grow 
  to 
  a 
  marketable 
  size 
  on 
  the 
  brush, 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   liability 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  oyster 
  to 
  drop 
  off 
  into 
  the 
  soft 
  mud 
  below, 
  it 
  was 
  

   sold 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  possible. 
  

  

  Brush, 
  straw, 
  etc., 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  used 
  by 
  collecting 
  the 
  material 
  into 
  

   bundles, 
  sheaves, 
  or 
  fagots, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  anchored 
  by 
  stones 
  or 
  sus- 
  

   pended 
  from 
  stakes. 
  As 
  it 
  is 
  usually 
  unnecessary 
  to 
  resort 
  to 
  such 
  very 
  

   soft 
  bottom, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  most 
  cases 
  that 
  shells, 
  gravel, 
  or 
  scrap 
  

   tin 
  will 
  be 
  more 
  serviceable 
  and 
  satisfactory. 
  Brush 
  collectors 
  would 
  

   be 
  difficult 
  to 
  use 
  in 
  regions 
  of 
  violent 
  wave 
  action. 
  

  

  Other 
  collectors. 
  — 
  Many 
  materials 
  have 
  been 
  suggested 
  as 
  suitable 
  for 
  

   collectors, 
  but 
  the 
  foregoing 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  only 
  ones 
  which 
  have 
  

   proven 
  practical 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  scale 
  in 
  our 
  waters. 
  Tiles 
  and 
  rooting 
  slates 
  

   arranged 
  in 
  various 
  forms 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  satisfactory 
  by 
  European 
  

   culturists, 
  but 
  ai-e 
  api^arently 
  not 
  adapted 
  to 
  use 
  here 
  where 
  labor 
  is 
  

   high 
  and 
  oysters 
  are 
  cheap. 
  Tliese 
  collectors 
  will 
  be 
  discussed 
  in 
  

   another 
  connection. 
  Pieces 
  of 
  bricks, 
  broken 
  pottery, 
  and 
  similar 
  

   materials 
  may 
  suggest 
  themselves 
  to 
  the 
  planter 
  as 
  local 
  substitutes 
  

   for 
  shells 
  and 
  gravel. 
  Hard 
  wood 
  chips 
  and 
  bark 
  might 
  prove 
  useful, 
  

   but 
  are 
  hardly 
  to 
  be 
  recommended. 
  

  

  COATING 
  CULTCH. 
  

  

  To 
  overcome 
  the 
  difficulty, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  mentioned, 
  of 
  the 
  set 
  upon 
  

   collectors 
  being 
  so 
  dense 
  as 
  to 
  interfere 
  with 
  its 
  subsequent 
  growth, 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  proposed 
  to 
  coat 
  the 
  cultch 
  with 
  some 
  material 
  which 
  will 
  

   flake 
  off, 
  either 
  under 
  the 
  mutual 
  pressure 
  exerted 
  between 
  the 
  grow- 
  

   ing 
  oysters, 
  or 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  scraped 
  with 
  a 
  suitable 
  instrument. 
  This 
  

   device 
  was 
  apparently 
  first 
  used 
  in 
  France, 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  adopted 
  to 
  

   avoid 
  the 
  theretofore 
  necessary 
  breakage 
  of 
  the 
  tile 
  collectors. 
  The 
  

   coating 
  is 
  detached 
  from 
  the 
  tiles 
  with 
  a 
  chisel-shaped 
  instrument, 
  

   somewhat 
  resembling 
  a 
  putty 
  knife. 
  

  

  